Why Jack Layton Must Survive

Layton's fate will become rhetorical signal for health care

Canadian politics was shaken recently by the news that Jack Layton has been struck with prostrate cancer.

Speaking testaments to the strength and resolve of his character, he has announced his intention to remain on as the leader of the NDP even while receiving treatment for the illness. He has, however, admitted that the illness will slow him down -- at least temporarily.

His father successfully fought the same disease, and doctors report that it has been diagnosed with enough time to (hopefully) successfully treat it.

But even as Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams venturing south of the border for a heart procedure, Layton has reportedly opted to remain in Canada to receive treatment for his ailment.

And even beyond the basic human reason why Layton must survive -- that he is a human being who, despite any disagreement regarding politics, is owed the same consideration as any other morally worthy human being -- this makes Layton's survival crucial.

As the health care debate continues to rage in the United States, events like Williams' plans to be treated in the United States have been dropped into the rhetorical arsenal of those opposing universal health care. The argument is that if Canadian health care can't provide treatment for the head of one of the country's governments, then it isn't a model that the United States should emulate.

This has been troubling enough for supporters of Canada's health care system -- even among many of those who urge the need for some necessary reforms -- if Layton were to die of prostate cancer while in the care of the Canadian public health care system, it would be that much worse.

Fairly or unfairly, Layton's fate will be used to rhetorically judge the Canadian health care system. A successful recovery from what seems to be a comparably routine illness will serve as vindication for Canadian health care. His passing, in turn, would be used to condemn it.

For Jack Layton -- a lifetime advocate of Canada's health care system (some may even suggest that he has often been an apologist for its deficiencies) -- to be used to rhetorically undermine the credibility of Canada's public health care system would be a fate much worse than the death itself.

Whatever becomes of Layton, he deserves much, much better than that.


Other bloggers writing about this topic:

Glen Pearson - "Collective Mortality"

Some Shit, Suffice it to Say, Just Don't Wash Out

There are some metaphors you can't withdraw

For all the years that Conservative Senator Mike Duffy has spent covering Canadian politics, one would expect that he'd have a better idea of what does and does not fly in Canadian politics.

Judged on his performance since entering the Red Chamber, one would have to think again.

First, during his maiden speech, Duffy allowed himself to be interruped by his trademark Blackberry.

This provoked a short discussion regarding the rules of the Senate. It seems that telecommunications devices, even when set to vibrate, were previously banned from the Senate chamber because they interferred with the sound system. When the old sound system was replaced the ban was lifted.

But as it turned out this was the least of Duffy's problems. In his maiden speech Duffy made a rather unsavoury metaphor.

"Honourable Senators, I was disappointed to see that our dynamic young Premier in Prince Edward Island, Robert Ghiz, has climbed into bed with the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and honourable Denators know what a grotesque scene that is," Duffy said with a wink. "Do honourable Senators know what happens when two politicians climb into bed together? One of them comes out on top and I am afraid that when one is in bed with Danny Williams he will come out on top and I would hate to see where that will leave PEI in the end."

The obvious homophobic undertones of Duffy's speech may sound similar to those familiar with the outrage directed at former Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair over a Brokeback Mountain parody featuring Stephen Harper and George W Bush in a tent together.

For his own part, Danny Williams characteristically spun the comment into a diatribe against Stephen Harper.

"Duffy was very much over the top," Williams said. "Duffy is being manipulated and told what to do by the venomous, nasty Harper Conservatives."

Duffy eventually offered a poor excuse for an apology over the remarks. "Honourable senators, if the metaphor I used in my speech on February 3 was offensive to some members of this chamber, I withdraw the metaphor," Duffy announced.

But suffice it to say that some shit just doesn't wash out. Duffy's comments would be inexcusable in any context, whether meant to be humorous or not.

Some things, once said, simply cannot be unsaid. Duffy owes Danny Williams, Robert Ghiz and the people of Canada an apology.


Other bloggers writing about this topic:

Stephen Pate - "Mike Duffy, No One Can Control Him"

Russ Campbell - "New Senator Mike Acquits Himself Rather Well"

Edward G Hollett - "A Duff in the..."

Evidently, New Brunswick Liberals Not as Dumb as They Look

Government of New Brunswick to "pass tax cut along" to consumers

When Stephane Dion and the federal Liberal party found it politically inconvenient to oppose the Conservatie government's 2008 GST cut, the New Brunswick Liberal Party thought they had discovered the next best thing in hiking the Harmonized Sales Tax by 1%.

The Harmonized Sales Tax is a harmonized combination of the General Goods and Services tax (imposed by the federal government) and the Provincial Sales tax (imposed by the provincial government). The HST also involves the governments of Novia Scotia and Newfoundland.

According to New Brunswick Finance Minister Victor Boudreau, premier Shawn Graham discussed the proposed HST hike with Nova Scotia premier Rodney McDonald and Newfoundland premier Danny Williams, and was forced to conclude that the hike was unfeasible.

"Government wasn't looking at putting one extra penny into its coffers," Boudreau insisted.

Of course, because it pertains to an agreement involving two other provincial governments, New Brunswick can't hike the tax unilaterally. If the other two provinces involved weren't willing to go with New Brunswick on this, then the plan is officially dead.

The ridiculousness of taking on the federal government over one of the most unpopular taxes in Canadian history aside, portraying the decision not to hike the HST as an "early christmas present", in particular, is nothing short of a logical fallacy, particularly considering that hiking the HST is the exact opposite of a Christmas present ("merry Christmas, I got you nothing...").

One would think Liberals would be smarter in places where they're actually governing.

Equalization Ball in Williams' Court

Ball officially in Danny Williams' court

There's something to be said about being able to campaign against a proxy instead of your opponent.

So far this year, it's already worked for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty when he campaigned, at least in part, against both the federal Conservative government (on gun control issues), and against the Albertan Progressive Conservative government (regarding climate change issues). It also worked for Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams, in regards to the so-called "broken promises" by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the federal Conservative party over off-shore oil revenues and equalization.

Admittedly, in both cases the opposition had a hand in their own downfall. Ontario PC leader John Tory provoked a wave of postmodern religious intolerance when he proposed extending public funding (already extended to Catholic schools) to other sectarian schools, while the Newfoundland Liberal party wasn't much of a factor in the election at all (their leader lost his own seat).

Yesterday, however, Williams was stripped of his metaphorical running mate in the campaign against the Conservative party's new equalization formula when Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald publicly struck a deal with the federal government.

Provided with a choice between the old equalization formula combined with the agreements under the Atlanic Accords and a new equalization formula promising more guaranteed funds (although these funds would be adjustable if oil and gas revenues exceed a certain level), the government of Nova Scotia has chosen the latter.

However, they also retain the option of reverting back to the old equalization formula, including the Atlantic Accord, if it's losing out on any monies.

MacDonald has, oddly enough, finally "secured an agreement" that won't cost the province "a red cent" -- although that offer was on the table from the very beginning of the dispute.

"It has never been this government's intention that Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland for that matter, would lose benefits agreed to under the Atlantic Accord," Harper announced on Wednesday. "It's up to Premier Williams whether he accepts the reconciliation or not."

Danny Williams, unsurprisingly, was not amused.

"Stephen Harper has decided he's going to try and pit provinces against each other, which he's very good at," Williams insisted. "I don't think that does much for Canadian unity."

"It just shows the pettiness of the man," Williams added. "It shows what he's all about. ...We can't trust him. ...We'll fight him all the way."

It's unsurprising that Williams would make such promises: he had done so all election long.

"Just because people don't have the cash to challenge something that's wrong in a court, Stephen Harper is going to say, 'Well, we're not going to give you the money to find out whether the government is right or wrong,'" Williams said in one particular election speech. "...Of all the things that he's done, I think that's one of the most significant things."

Perhaps its understandable that Williams would take on the federal government during the election, considering the weakness of his own opposition, clearly needing some way to make Newfoundlanders excited about his government.

In responding to the Nova Scotian government's deal over equalization, however, Williams directed his barbs at both the federal and Nova Scotian governments. "The bottom line here is that Nova Scotians have said yes to less," he announced. "Stephen Harper has a way for preying on the weak. ... He sees in Nova Scotia a minority government that is in difficulty and he's talked them into taking this," he added, seemingly intending to remind premier MacDonald of his political situation.

Williams insists that taking him on over equalization amounts to challenging all of Newfoundland. Yet at least one of his cohorts in his ongoing feud with Ottawa doesn't seem to feel the same way -- at least regarding his own province.

Now, however, the ball is in Danny Williams' court. Rodney MacDonald may have tipped the hands of both men by admitting how implicitly reasonable the Conservatives' equalization formula really is. He can feel free to try and dribble the ball out, but he'll now find himself at least one teammate short. With his other teammate, Saskatchewan's Lorne Calvert, on rather shaky political ground himself, he may soon find himself in a very solitary position.

There's no "I" in team. However, that may well be the position that Danny Williams will soon find himself in, and he may find the equalization ball very difficult to move.